The present invention relates to data retrieval and more particularly to data retrieval using an index.
Data retrieval may be facilitated via the use of an index which is typically based on one or more keys defining search criteria which can be used to access stored data. Such an index may, for example, chart the location of data stored within records in a database system or messages held by a messaging system. Some systems build a full index upfront of all the data stored and add to this as and when changes are made to the data.
In systems which build an index dynamically, the index is typically built based on the data that a user retrieves. In this way storage space is not wasted and the index should be tailored towards the most common user requests.